J&M Cleaning Services looks to keep work places safe as pandemic rages

Creating a clean and healthy environment has been a long-time career for Salinas native Guillermo Ramirez.

When he’s not training his employees or overseeing his deep cleaning business, J&M Cleaning Services, he is teaching his three young boys about the importance of recycling, environmental safety, and showing them the ropes of his business.

Ramirez started out his early career as a janitor and has since created his own cleaning service for all local businesses and has been running for the past few years. However, it was during the pandemic that Ramirez knew he had to step up efforts and get his business ready for what was to come.

“Before the big pandemic hit, I was watching the news and saw reports of all these cases and I knew I had to start preparing,” Ramirez said. “I immediately started buying protective equipment, masks and I stocked up on cleaning chemicals from local stores and online.”

Today, Ramirez and his team of four crew members are constantly at work to bring cleanliness to Salinas businesses and offices as COVID-19 remains a concern for many.

Five days a week, his employees clock in, load up wipes, sprays and other supplies in their work vans and head to their daily routes.

Many of their current clients include local clinics, hospitals, and processing plants but also include large and small offices.

Every worker has their own routine.

Their deep cleaning often involves general sanitizing and wiping down of surfaces like door handles, desks, keyboards, phones, and other gadgets. Ramirez explains more deep cleaning methods can sometimes involve the use of foggers to thoroughly disinfect rooms.

Clients can call in to request additional specific areas they wish to be serviced.

Many of the chemical and supplies J&M utilizes are those typically found medical institutions and Ramirez says they are always purchased in-town to keep that money and taxes flowing back into the community.

He says clients often request service one or twice or every two weeks but says the need can depend on the size of a space, the number of people working there or if there has been a risk of COVID-19 exposure.

Ramirez says he is frequently monitoring prices of other cleaning service providers to ensure his rates do not go higher.

He hopes to eventually expand to more office so that J&M can eventually tend to other Central Coast areas including Monterey. With COVID cases and new variants still on the rise, Ramirez says the most important for him is doing his part to provide the local community with a safer workplace.

"We just want to help keep employees healthy, have a clean environment and give peace of mind," he said.

J&M Cleaning Services is located at 21 West Laurel Drive Suite #57. Rates and other information can be found at https://www.jmcleaningservices.net/

This article originally appeared on Salinas Californian: J&M Cleaning Services looks to keep work places safe as pandemic rages